Joys of Parenthood
by Discretion Assured
Summary: A Ronniecoln anthology. Cover by Trillhouse


It didn't come as a surprise to them; they'd already agreed on trying for a baby. But Ronnie Anne hadn't expected the first try, the freaking honeymoon, to bring success. Her mother was a nurse and she'd done research beforehand, so she knew what to expect. So when two weeks into her marriage she started feeling tired, she knew what it could mean.

She didn't sound the alarm yet though. It could just be her enthusiastic mind fooling her. Besides, a test couldn't pick up until about the third week. Worse, if either her family or her in-laws caught wind of this…Let's just say if she was going to go through that hell, then it better be for the real thing. She'd never been one for overt enthusiasm.

It was the same reason she didn't tell Lincoln. As cute as it would be, he'd get overexcited too.

So, she waited another 3 weeks, during which there was no shortage of still trying. And a full 5 weeks after the honeymoon, when her cycle didn't start at all, she was convinced it could very well be possible. Only one way to find out for sure. But first, they needed something.

"We need to go to the store." She leaned in the doorway to the closet in their one-bedroom apartment that he'd made his little work studio for drawing.

"To get what?" Lincoln didn't look up from what he was scribbling.

"A couple pregnancy tests." The pencil slipped from his hand and he tried to quickly stand out and turn around. He did it so fast, his leg caught on a desk leg and he stumbled, nearly faceplanting in front of his wife. "Don't kill yourself." She joked.

"Pregnancy tests?" Lincoln repeated, out of breath. "Do you think your already pregnant?" He glanced down at her stomach.

"No idea. That's what the tests are for." She reached out and tilted his face back up. "So come on."

"Right. Right!" He went back over to his desk and quickly grabbed his wallet and a few other things. "Let's go!" He moved past her, grabbing her hand as he passed and pulling her along. She smiled to herself at his eagerness.

"So, what makes you think you're already pregnant?" He asked while they drove to a pharmacy just a few blocks down.

"Starting feeling tired and I'm a week late. I'm pretty sure it happened on our wedding night." He grinned sheepishly when she said that. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised." His wife knocked him on the shoulder. "You didn't let me go for over an hour after you carried me in."

"You started it." He laughed. "Lori said you were trying to get into my jeans before she even dropped us off." The two had gotten just the teensiest bit drunk at their wedding. Honestly, they hadn't had that much. They just didn't drink often, so it hit them harder. Lori had volunteered, out of both families, to drive the newlyweds back home. And she'd gushed for minutes, to both's embarrassment, in the following days about how they spent the whole drive in the backseat leaning against each other and being all lovely-dovey. Ronnie Anne had stolen her sister-in-law's phone when the blond took a bathroom break just to make sure she didn't have anything incriminating. But they were good. If her family saw any of that, she'd never live it down. "I'm pretty sure you started it a few times that night."

"I started it once or twice. That's only a fourth."

"You started it half the time." He counter-argued.

"A third."

"I'll accept that." Lincoln said thoughtfully. "I can claim the rest of the times I was so handsome you couldn't resist."

"If you weren't driving, I'd punch you right now." She joked. He just smiled. Neither of them were going to forget that night any time soon.

The neighbors wouldn't forget soon either, unfortunately for them.

"You're not nervous or anything, are you?" Lincoln asked.

"No. Why? We planned for this."

They weren't some couple straight out of high school; they were both in their early 20s. They'd both gotten a higher education. They both had jobs. They figured they were ready. Or as much as they could be. Members in both their families had just smiled and laughed when they made that claim.

"Okay." Lincoln took her word for it.

They got to the pharmacy and Lincoln let his wife take the lead. She knew what she was doing. Several different boxes, several different brands. Had to crosscheck to be sure. And a case of water. Needed that too. The cashier they got in line for smiled pleasantly when she saw what they were buying.

"She kept begging, so I had to say yes." Lincoln joked. Ronnie Anne elbowed him in the gut and then made him carry the water back to the car.

"So…" Lincoln ventured as they drove back. His wife was already chugging water. "If you really are pregnant, who are we going to tell first?" His wife spluttered, getting water all over her shirt. Lincoln reached over and patted her on the back to help her get over her coughing fit.

"Oh no." She said warningly. "I am not considering that at ALL until I know for sure. I've been the center of attention twice now." First she announced she was getting married, and then she actually got married. She'd been swamped both times.

"Yeah, good point." Lincoln admitted, rubbing the back of his head. Jesus, the excited screaming when he'd only revealed he'd bought a ring had nearly deafened him.

The two together were convinced each of their families had brawled with each other when it came to setting up the wedding, even if they'd never seen it happen. If Ronnie Anne really was pregnant…hoo-boy.

They got home, excitement and anxiety bubbling in both their stomachs. They were about 10 minutes away from their lives potentially changing forever. Ronnie Anne's mind was focused completely on the contents of the bag she was carrying.

Then her husband distracted her from it by trying to follow her into the bathroom.

"I appreciate your enthusiasm." She put a hand on his face and pushed him back. "But I got this part." She pushed him clear with a shove and closed the door. And so, Lincoln leaned against the wall outside, right knee moving just so he could burn energy without pacing.

To say he was excited would be an understatement. It was every man's dream, wasn't it? To raise a family with the woman you loved? It was definitely his dream, and it looked like it was coming true. He tapped his knuckles against the door in a few sharp taps.

"Any progress?" He called.

"I haven't even opened all the boxes yet!" Was the response. "Don't badger me, Lincoln!"

"Alright, alright." He soothed her and went back to waiting.

They'd both be great parents, he just knew. Lincoln had grown up helping raise his many younger siblings. Ronnie Anne had always played a sorta parent to her clumsy brother, and helped raise her cousin Carlitos. Yeah, she had a rough personality even in adulthood, but there was a soft and caring person under all that. You just had to dig reeeeally deep.

Was it still too soon? He resisted the urge to rap on the door again.

He sunk against the wall behind him and patted his knees to pass the time, until the door knob finally turned and she poked her head out. "Come on." She jerked it. Lincoln quickly jumped up and followed her in. Several of the tests were laid out on the counter on top of some folded toilet paper.

"What do they say?" He asked.

"I'm still waiting on the results." She leaned against the far wall and crossed her arms. He did the same next to her. Her arms eventually unfolded and fell to her side, where she reached over and grabbed her husband's. When she squeezed it out of nervousness, he squeezed back in reassurance.

1 minute. 2 minutes. 3 minutes. "I think they're done now." Ronnie Anne spoke, and her voice shook a little. They both stepped forward to look down at the tests. "Positive." She read the first one. "Positive." She read the second. Her eyes swept over the rest. "They're all positive." She breathed.

They were going to have a baby.

Lincoln moved behind her and wrapped his arms around her upper body, nuzzling the back of her head. "You're going to be a great mother." He told her. They were going to be parents!

His wife groaning took him out of what would otherwise be a happy moment, and he looked down at her. "We gotta tell our families now." She groaned. Lincoln grimaced.


End file.
